Shoes, and particularly women's shoes, are more than foot protection, and are typically regarded as fashion accessories. When consumers buy shoes, especially high-heeled varieties, women are typically concerned not only with comfort and durability, but also with shoe aesthetics, how the shoes comport with fashion trends, and clothing compatibility. Because the shoe is regarded as a particularly important fashion accessory, consumers often buy numerous pairs of shoes to match a variety of outfits.
Like other forms of fashionable apparel, trendy shoes can be extremely expensive, and particularly so if made by a famous designer. Because such shoes are typically designed with style and fashion in mind—and not necessarily comfort or longevity—it is not uncommon for the sole of a woman's shoes to show wear after a relatively short period of time. Women's shoes may wear particularly badly from repeated exposure to rough surfaces such as asphalt or pavement. The combination of the desire for new, fashionable shoes and the fact that such shoes may wear somewhat quickly results in a huge market for women's shoes. In 2007, for example, the U.S. consumed over 950 million pairs of women's shoes (non-rubber). Meanwhile, the U.S. only consumed approximately 240 million pairs of men's shoes in the same time frame.
There is a need in the art of women's shoes for a means to allow easy attachment and removal of ornamentation to the sole of any woman's shoe, which is particularly difficult for high heels with severe and complex curvatures.